Ammunition container



March 8, 1938. c. A. LARSSON AMMUNITION CONTAINER Filed June 24, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 m NJ 2 emf, L! 4 d m f l n r J a 5 6 March 1938- c. A. LARssoN AMMUNITION CONTAINER Filed June 24, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Carl Alfredlarlsson Patented Mar. 8, 1938 AMMUNITION CONTAINER Carl Alfred Larsson, Westminster, England, assignors to Vickcrs-Armstrongs Limited, Westminster, England, a British Company Application June 24, 1936, Serial No. 86,969 In Great Britain June 28, 1935 9 Claims.

each other to form a continuous belt and from which the belt can be drawn out freely in feeding the gun with minimum possibility of stop- According to the invention the container is divided into a number of separate compartments adapted to receive the belt in looped formation so that the cartridges being withdrawn from amr compartment will not be restricted in their withdrawing movement by the cartridges in any other compartment.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into eifect the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a cartridge belt box made in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the same box with the inner parts in diiferent positions.

The box A has an outlet housing B and two pivoted lid members D, D the latter being. detachably held in position by a pin E which passes through tubular lugs on the lid member D and through tubular members on the box A. The compartments F are formed by partitions F comprising spaced plates of spring steel extending transversely across the box, i. e., transversely across the direction of movement of the cartridges H towards the outlet housing B. The partitions are pivoted at their lower edges to the bottom of the container by means of pins f on the partitions engaging in lugs or bearings a on the box A. The partitions F extend to within a short distance from the lid members, this distance being sufiicient to allow passage of the cartridges H between thetop edges of the partitions and the lid members. The upper margins of the partitions are curved towards the outlet housing B and are spaced apart so that the belt from one compartment extends over the top of a partition down into another compartment to the bottom thereof, and then upwardly to the top of this compartment and over the next partition to provide a looped formation, each compartment normally containing a loop which is constituted by two vertical rows of cartridges. In the drawings, all of the compartments should be regarded as containing cartridges although only the forward loops are illustrated. The partitions serve to keep the belt in smooth bends and to keep it free from flapping which has heretofore been the cause of stoppages.

About midway of its height each. partition is provided at each side with a pin f engaging in 5 slots at in the side walls of the box. These slots are short and slightly inclined to the horizontal with their lower ends towards the outlet housing B. When the partitions are all inclined forwardly as shown in Figure 2 with the pins f engaging the lower ends of the slots, the partitions will be in such positions that the belt can be withdrawn freely from all compartments and the partitions will not press against the cartridges to restrict their motion undesirably. 15

The pivoted arrangement of the partitions facilitates loading the box as adjacent partitions can be moved apart to provide free access to each compartment for loading each loop of the belt thereinto.

A small spring plate J is provided on the inside of the lid members and curves downwardly for a short distance near the outlet housing and serves .to keep the belt in smooth or even bends and prevents the belt from slipping out of place in the compartments when the container is stood on one end. The spring is spaced a short distance above the first or front partition, this distance being such that the spring plate J will be pressed slightly upwards by the cartridges as they pass beneath it. The outlet housing B has a curved outlet channel B and the belt moves from the compartments into said channel over an anti-friction roller B The housing B has grooves or ribs B or other suitable means where by it can be readily clipped on to the feed box of the machine gun and has spring catches B for locking it in position.

The invention is especially useful with machine guns used on aeroplanes to provide smooth action 40 of the belt without stoppage, as it is drawn out of the container and to facilitate speedy substitution of loaded containers.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-- 45 1. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, which comprises a bounding wall and a plurality of partitions extending upwardly from practically equidistantly spaced portions of said bounding wall and arranged to form a series which uniformly divides the box internally into a plurality of similar, successive and adjacent compartments, each of such compartments being adapted to receive a single loop of the cartridge belt.

2. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, 55

which comprises a bounding wall and a number 01' partitions extending upwardly from said bounding wall and arranged to divide .the box internally into a plurality of compartments, each oi such partitions terminating short at one end of the bounding wall oi. the box, and each compartment being adapted to contain a single loop thebelt, the latter passing from one compartment to the next over that end of each partition which terminates short of the bounding wall of the box.

3. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, which comprises a top bounding wall and a plurality of partitions arranged to divide the box internally into a plurality of compartments arranged in a row, each of said partitions terminating short of the top bounding wall of the box, whereby the compartments all open into a common space at the top of the box, and said compartments being adapted to receive a single loop of the belt, the latter extending from one compartment to the other over the short end of the partitions.

4. A cartridge belt box for machine guns which comprises a top wall and a plurality oi partitions arranged to divide the box internally into a plurality of compartments arranged in a row, said partitions terminating short of the top wall of the box whereby the compartments all open into a common-space at the top of the box, said compartments being adapted each to contain a single loop or the cartridge belt, and a teed mouth being provided at one end of the box so that the car-'- tridges may be withdrawn through said feed mouthirom each, one of thecompartments in turn.

'5. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, having a bottom, a lid and a plurality of spaced plates arranged to divide the box internally into compartments arranged in a row upon said bottom, each of said plates extending from the bottom of the box to within a short distance from the lid thereof, and said plates being arranged transversely to the intended direction of movement of the belt, the compartments being adapted each to contain a single loop of the belt. 7

6. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, comprising a bottom, a lid, and a plurality of partitions arranged to divide the box internally into a plurality of compartments arranged in a row upon said bottom, each oi. such partitions extending from the bottom of the box but terminating short oi the lid thereof, and pivotal connections between the lower edge 01' said plate and the bottom of the box, each of said compartments being adapted to contain a single loop oi the belt, and the distance between the top edges of the partitions and the lid of the box being suihcient to allow passage 01' the cartridges between such top edges and said lid.

'7. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, comprising a plurality oi spaced plates arranged to divide the box internally into a number of compartments each of which is, adapted to contain a single loop or the belt, said partitions being pivoted at their lower ends to the bottom of the box and terminating short of the lid of the box at their upper ends, and a feed mouth arranged at one end of the box, the upper ends of said plates curving'in a direction towards said feed mouth.

8. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, comprising a plurality of spaced plates arranged to,

divide the box internally into a plurality of compartments, pivotal connections between the lower edges of the plates and the bottom'oi the box, said plates being arranged to terminate short of the lid of the box,'a feed mouth located at one end of the box, the upper ends of said plates being curved towards said feed mouth, pins secured to the pivoted plates and adapted to enter slots in the lateral walls of the box, whereby the plates are allowed a limited angular movement.

9. A cartridge belt box for machine guns, comprising a plurality of spaced plates arranged to divide the box internally into a plurality of compartments, hinged connections between the lower ends of said plates and the bottom of the box, a feed mouth at one end of the box, said plates terminating at their top edges short of the lid of the box and being curved towards said feed mouth, means for allowing the plates a limited angular travel, a roller arranged at the feed opening of the box, and a deflector plate arranged to depend into the path of the belt as it passes over said roller-to leave the box at the reed mouth.

CARL ALFRED LARSSON. 

